Interesting Fact About the Organization:As of October 2016, 596 Acres had directly facilitated the creation of 36 new community spaces where there were once vacant lots, 30 of which have been made permanent through transfers to the Parks Department or leases with public authorities. This amounts to a total of over 7 acres of new green space.

Number of staff/employees:6

Annual Budget:$130,000

Year Started:2011

Major Funders:Individuals, NY Community Trust, the Clif Bar Family Foundation, discretionary funds from City Council members

About the Organization:596 Acres advocates for public access to public land in New York City by providing information and resources to New Yorkers so that they can create community spaces from unused lots. They do this by building organizing tools to help grassroots groups compete with private real estate developers when it comes to determining the future of publicly owned assets across the city. One of those tools is their interactive online map and database of all the public assets that provide some type of potential real estate development opportunity: Living Lots NYC.

Latest Project:596 Acres’ new map, NYCommons, shows public real estate assets that are potential opportunities for community-controlled development or might be at risk of disappearing to real estate speculation.

Areas Served:Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens

Core Programs:Education about vacant land ownership using various methods, at the core of which is Living Lots NYC, their interactive online map. They give New Yorkers educational resources to legally, easily and safely build up and maintain vacant lots. The program empowers residents by:
• Making municipal information available online and at the lots
• Providing education about city government and ways to participate in decisions that shape neighborhoods
• Assisting communities with legal support and campaign development on land use issues
• Maintaining networks that allow communities to share knowledge and relationships with decision makers
• Working with groups after they get access to land to build sustainable community governance
• Advocating for municipal agencies to increase participatory decision making surrounding public resources
• Educational workshops, “labeling walks,” and more.

Major Issues:Advocacy-Community, Community Gardens, Urban Agriculture

Non-profit?:Nonprofit

We have and or use Social Media?:Yes, we do have social media (twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc…)